Håkon Wium Lie, CTO of Opera, Interview about the OLPC
Free at video sites:
I also posted this to http://olpc.tv/2007/06/01/opera-browser-and-ogg-theora-in-html5-specs/
June 1, 2007
May 22, 2007
Illegal dumping of low cost computer, Intel Classmate does not cost $180
Yesterday I got on the frontpage of Digg with this story: OLPC on 60 Minutes: Intel is evil, and a few days ago I was also on the front page of Digg with The first children have received their 100$ laptops.
The cost of the Classmate is closer to $400. Though Intel is offering only to OLPC launch states in maximum bunches of 10 thousand units at $180 each. Thus Intel is taking a $220 loss per laptop. Intel will only sell at that price in relatively low volumes, you can be sure Intel won’t commit to deliver a million laptops per country at that price.
I have tried both at http://olpc.tv (even though those were not the latest versions), and I can tell you that while OLPC XO-1 is 100% made of innovation, the Classmate is nothing more than a lower spec conventional laptop with an Intel ULV processor (like the one in the UMPCs) and with a 2GB flash memory instead of a 20GB HDD (which doesn’t cut price more than about $30). Intel might as well give out low spec full screen and full keyboard sized laptops in batches of 10 thousand units, it wouldn’t cost Intel much more. What Intel is doing is making people think that the Classmate is innovation, just because it’s the same size as the OLPC XO-1, while Classmate is 0% innovation.
OLPC XO-1 is better in terms of power managment (12h battery life with backlight and heavy use compared to 2h battery life on the Classmate, the Classmate consumes nearly 10 times more Watts per hour of use), the dual-mode high resolution screen of the XO-1 is sunlight readable and usable for e-books (Classmate is just a conventionnal and expensive 7″ LCD, just like the ones on the expensive UMPCs) and the software of the XO-1 is made for education and is full of innovation for that use, fully open source thus constantly being optimized and new location specific apps can be added (while Classmate is nothing but a normal laptop running Windows XP, Intel did nothing to improve or adapt any educational software for the Classmate running Windows XP, the Classmate comes with no other educational software than what is currently available on Windows XP and on the Internet).
OLPC XO-1 can run Windows XP, but Microsoft has on purpose not wanted to confirm that, because Microsoft also is hoping that OLPC XO-1 will not start mass production as planned. But you can be sure that XO-1 hardware can support a customized slimmed down Windows XP and OSX, once it is mass produced, you can be sure that Microsoft and Apple will be able to relatively quickly deliver those customized unbloated and free-licenced or $3-licenced OS to the OLPC schools on a 1GB SD card.
March 4, 2007
OLPC XO is the future of computing
I have launched a video-blog for OLPC XO video news at: http://olpc.tv
The OLPC XO is the laptop computer on the right, while the computer on the left is an old fashion bloated Intel or AMD-based computer running old fashioned and bloated Red Hat Linux OS (better than Microsoft software though). This picture is posted by Christoffer Blizzard.
- OLPC XO consumes much less power than old fashioned Intel/Microsoft laptop computers. Probably something like… 10 times less power.
- OLPC XO has a better, higher resolution and sunlight readable screen, much better than traditionnal LCDs on Intel/Microsoft computers.
- OLPC XO is ten times cheaper than Intel/Microsoft computers.
- OLPC XO comes with faster bootup, faster Linux OS, more optimized open-source OS and applications unlike Intel/Microsoft computers that forces Windows XP and proprietary software on us all.
- OLPC XO has developped a power-saving way of shutting down the AMD Geode processor and storing screen informations in a buffer most of the time, when the CPU is not required, a thing Intel/Microsoft computers do not have with their traditionnal Intel CPUs.
- OLPC XO comes with revolutionnary Wi-Fi Mesh chip that has its own processor, consuming less than 0.5 watts, maybe even as low as 0.2 watts to be running 24 hours a day for 5-6 days before recharge, constantly being able to forward packets for other OLPC XO or other Wi-Fi Mesh appliances. Something Intel/Microsoft computers provide non of. Intel/Microsoft computers consume lots of power having to run the main CPU all the time even when it is not needed. On a Intel/Microsoft computer, to use any Wi-Fi application, the main CPU has got to run, and sometimes also the LCD, making the Intel/Microsoft computers useless to use it as always-on VOIP devices, waking up on incomming VOIP/IM/Email/RSS or other incomming packets.
What happened since this computer revolution is underway? My theory is that some rich companies together with Nicholas Negroponte’s team at the MIT have finally decided to invest in ending the bloated Intel/Microsoft, also called Wintel monopoly. One based on forcing bloated software onto the public, bloated software requiring expensive supercomputers costing a 1000$ or more just to run basic applications. Of which 95% of normal computer users only need to browse the Internet together with some other basic features like Internet telephony, Internet messaging, Email notifications and Multimedia playback, all of which does not require expensive supercomputers to run at standard resolutions.
What will happen I think in the very near future, thanks partly to the amazing OLPC XO project, is that suddently very cheap computers will be replacing the traditionnal Intel/Microsoft platforms, I am in fact hoping that I can soon replace my year-old 2200$ Acer laptop computer running Windows XP on a dual-core Intel processor, that I will be able to replace it with a much better performing 300$ Linux computer, having optimized processing power for basic applications that I use like browsing/VOIP/IM/Email, and I will need to have the optimized HD video DSP co-processor, a removable iVDR slot for inserting any 2.5″ hard drive up to 200GB, with Wi-Fi Mesh, HSDPA and WiMax modules.
Who among Google, IBM or Dell are first going to be mass-producing optimized and commercial Linux solutions inspired by the innovations provided by the OLPC XO project? I think that they must all be hard at work on it, and we will see the transition in our society very soon from Intel/Microsoft platforms to Optimized-low-power-CPU with optionnal cheap and low-power DSP co-processor for HD video processing running free and open-source Linux software.
June 3, 2006
Nicholas Negroponte’s keynote at WCIT 2006
Nicholas Negroponte keynote filmed nearly completely from my seat in the audience, I got as close as I could to the stage, as there was lots of VIPs and cameras were not allowed at the WCIT keynotes, I couldn’t get any closer. During WCIT, I approached Nicholas Negroponte and I asked him if he had tried to integrate WiMAX yet, to which he replied WiMAX is overhyped but could come in the next generations, and I asked him if video works and he said that of course it works, that those laptops can do everything.
DivX HD: Play, Download (604mb)
Google Video: Play, GVI, Page